Beretta Pico

The new Beretta Pico was announced today at the 2013 National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Houston, TX. The new gun is intended for the concealed carry market and comes to the table already looking like a mature platform with multiple options, frame colors and accessories ready to go.

The Pico is being called “ultra-concealable” by the company, and at the widest point, the Beretta Pico is only 18mm. For those of us stuck still using the king’s system of measurements, that works out to be less than 0.71″ wide. That is pretty darn thin.

Additionally, the pistol has many of the edges rounded to prevent snagging on garments when drawing from concealed locations. Additionally, the slide release is flush with the frame, meaning it does not protrude beyond the width of the frame.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the new handgun is its ability to change between 380 ACP and 32 ACP with a quick barrel swap. In less than a minute, the shooter can move between calibers with a single gun.

In both calibers, the barrel only tilts 1.4° during the firing sequence. According to Beretta, this increases reliability of feeding. Additionally, by having limited tilt, the company states this dramatically reduces felt recoil. One Beretta spokesperson stated this gun was unlike other subcompact .380 pistols on the market, because the recoil was so low you would actually enjoy shooting this gun.

The new Pico has the ability to swap frames as the company’s other pistol, the Nano, does. The frames are polymer. Ready immediately for the new pistol are frames in black, purple, white, pink and flat dark earth. The Pico is able to do this by using a chassis system like the Nano.

The chassis contains the fire control system and the serial number for the firearm. This is the only part of the gun regulated by the ATF. An end user can then buy as many frames or other bits and pieces as he or she likes and just build them around the single chassis.

The new Beretta Pico also has an integrated accessory module that allows the owner to have a red laser or white light attached to the pistol. The laser and light module is manufactured by LaserMax. These modules are integrated into upgraded frames. The base model Pico will not have the frames, but upgraded models will have them. Additionally, users can purchase the integral frames at a later time and complete the easy swap themselves.

The pistols will ship with two magazines: one flush fitting and one with a finger extension (no additional capacity). The Pico mags will hold six rounds for both the .380 ACP and .32 ACP calibers. The gun has an ambidextrous magazine release.

The sights on the Beretta Pico are much larger than the sights on some other tiny pistols. The rear sight is dovetailed, so it is drift adjustable. Both sights are replaceable should the shooter want to upgrade to other sights. Beretta announced that Trijicon is making tritium night sights for the guns now, and the sights are an option on the pistol at launch.

The slide and frame are stainless steel. The slide has a stainless finish and the frame has a black INOX finish. Beretta states a black INOX finish will be available for the slide as well, but those will probably not ship until 2014.

The Pico is hammer fired, not striker fired, and are double-action only (DAO). The pistols ship with a zippered carrying case.

According to Beretta, DoubleTap Ammunition is currently working to develop a special 380 ACP load for the gun, though any normal ammo will run reliably in the pistols. Additionally, the company announced that DeSantis and Gould & Goodrich already had holsters designed for the new Pico.

Listed on the Beretta site are two holsters for the Pico. One is an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster with a black leather backing and an ABS plastic shell. The holster has a steel clip to attach it to your belt. Currently, only a right-hand model is listed. Pricing is $39.

Also listed is a nylon pocket holster. It is also right hand only (for now.) It is made from a soft nylon and has a wide band around the exterior, that presumably helps hold it in place while riding in the shooter’s pocket. It is listed at $25.

The Beretta Pico pistols are made in the United States and are set to start shipping in August. The guns carry a suggested retail price of $399 for the base models. When the Pico goes on sale, we will see what kind of street price to expect. Anything around $350 or less would seem to be a very reasonable price.

I’ll have to get this out to the range and shoot it before I would ever recommend it. However, the Beretta Pico definitely looks interesting. The integrated light and laser frames are a real plus for concealed carry guns, when hanging a light off of an accessory rail makes them much harder to conceal (and find holsters for.)

Neither .380 nor .32 are great rounds for self defense, but they are much preferred to a harsh word when defending oneself. These pistols appear to be extremely compact, so they definitely can increase the likelihood that someone would carry it, and therefore have it on hand if they needed it.

The folks at the NRA were able to get a Beretta representative to go on camera and talk about the Pico:

Beretta Pico Dimensions

Overall Length : 5.1 in/ 130 mm

Barrel Length : 2.7 in/ 70 mm

Overall Width : .725 in / 18 mm

Grip Width : .725 in / 18 mm

Overall Height : 4.0 in/ 100 mm

Sight Radius : 3.3 in/ 84 mm

WEIGHT: 11.5 oz. incl. empty magazine

2015 SHOT Show Update

Beretta will officially announce the availability of colored frames at the 2015 SHOT Show. The frame colors will include white, green, purple, pink and flat dark earth. The frames will carry a MSRP of $37.

An additional frame with a built-in LaserMax light will also be shown. This will carry a suggested retail price of $199.

Reader Interactions

Comments

At least they admit this one is DAO, the nano was marketed as striker fired so I order one and found out “striker” means a 15 pound DAO that I could not use. This one looks neat, but DAO is not something I can manage anymore. Take a line from sig and make a short/light trigger micro for us old folks that like berettas someday, maybe…. I would buy it.

The Pico looks like an excellent gun and I can’t wait to get one. My only worry is the grip might be too short.

I own several 32acp pistols (NAA Guardian, Taurus TCP32, Keltec p32, Jiminez JA32) and have learned from experience that 7 rounds is the practical minimum for a 32auto. The grip needs to be long enough to get a secure grip and with a single-stack 32 that means at least a 7 rounds mag.

My NAA Guardian holds only 6 rounds and the grip is so short I can only get 1 finger on it. The gun is so unpleasant to shoot that I never carry it or even practice with it.

My Taurus also holds 6 rounds but the grip is a tad longer and the base plate a little thicker so I can get a better grip on it. The Taurus is fun to shoot and I might carry it if the stupid thing didn’t malfunction so much.

My favorite (for now) is the Kel-tec p32. It holds 7 rounds and the grip is long enough to give me a secure grip. I carry it every day and recomend it to my CCW students.

The new Beretta sounds great , But i need to know what the trigger pull is in Lbs, i made the mistake of buying the new Ruger LCP a couple years and took it to the range with a couple box’s of over priced 380, well Its still in the safe where i put it , i swear it has a 20 Lb trigger , and had i not got the laser model i would have throne it in the pond at the range. In there attempt to make a snag free gun they made two dimples in the frame and tried to call them sights. So before i run out and buy any other small thin frame 380 / 32 I want to know what the trigger pull is. I m still looking for someone who makes a aftermarket trigger for the Ruger??????

Ruger came out with a new model of the LCP at the beginning of 2013. Don’t know the exact weight, but I have shot both models and I can tell you the new trigger is noticeably lighter and shorter, which makes it significantly more pleasant to shoot, reduces fatigue and felt recoil, and improves accuracy. They also improved the sights.

Nevertheless, the Pico looks like an improvement over the LCP in all regards other than overall height and MSRP.

Ya, that’s fine. Nice little weapon, easy to conceal …. but try to find one. I have looked at gun shops throughout the country and as far as I can see, none of these are available. If anyone knows where to get one, let me know at marine1967maw2 (at) yahoo.com I am I have gun money burning a hole in my pocket and I am READY TO BUY

I was thinking about gettin one for my girlfriend. All the spec’s sound good. But was wondering if this would stop an intruder.. Im used to my Ruger Blackhawk 44 special & and my colt New agent 45.. I feel I should shoot one before I buy one. Does anyone out there have one yet? And can tell me how they like it.. My friend has the nano for his daughter.. $ 400;00 sounds like a very fair price for a Beretta. But the gun shops in my area dont have them yet just the Nano..

I hope someone who has bought one will chime in with their thoughts on the gun. I would suggest taking your girlfriend in to the store (when they get some in) to let her get a feel for the pistol. Believe it or not, she might want to get something a little larger that feels better in her hand. The Ruger LC380 is a bit bigger but keeps to a low power cartridge if she doesn’t like something with a lot of kick.

New generation 380 ammo is lethal by any measure. I carry a 9MM when i can, but my everyday carry is a pico and I assure you with the civil defense 50 grain (1500 fps) hollow point its game over for mr scumbag if he’s within 15 – 20 yards. My second mag is filled with hornady critical defense. Mr bad guy would be well served to find a softer target for their misdeeds

I picked one up 2 weeks ago. It is a TINY gun. It is rated for +P ammo. Over 2 visits to the range, I have put through 250 rounds. I had 2 FTE’s during the first 100 rounds. I had 1 FTE today during 150 rounds and it was during the first box of 50. The last 2 boxes were flawless. The 250 rounds were Monarch Ammo purchased from Academy. The trigger is long but the gun is easy to shoot. The recoil is similar to my Nano in that it moves back more than it flips up. At 10 yards, it is very accurate. I purchased this primarily for the ease of concealment due to it’s size. It is only .7 inches thick…that is crazy!

Have a PICO and it is broken in after 175 rounds of ball ammo. Clean and lube generanouly during break in period. Now eats up all ammo including my personal defense loads. Fiocchi XTP and Precision One XTP for personal defense. LCR vs PICO? LCR has no double strike capability and has a magazine safety! The loudest sound you will ever hear is a click when you expect a bang. In high stress situations, I don’t want to have a gun like the LCR that I might accidently drop the mag and can’t shoot the chamber round or if I have an ammo malfunction have to tap,rack, bang vs just repull the trigger. Training is key but you never know how you’ll react when needed…period. Training doesn’t mean going to the indoor range and shooting 100 rounds at a stationary paper targer at 10 yards for 1 hr in a modified weaver stance two handed. Practice malfuction clearing with dummy rounds and dry firing. Shoot offhand, one handed, holding a bag in other hand. This is where the controlability of the PICO excels!